The present invention relates to telecommunications networks, and more particularly, but not exclusively, to developments in such networks suitable for adoption in 3GPP SAE/LTE or 4th generation (4G) mobile or cellular telecommunications networks that will be implemented in the future.
It is anticipated that SAE/LTE and 4G networks may provide the following advantages, compared to these known networks:—    1. Support interactive multimedia services: teleconferencing, wireless Internet, etc.    2. Wider bandwidths, higher bit rates.    3. Global mobility and service portability.    4. Scalability of mobile networks.and may be/have:—    5. Entirely packet-switched networks.    6. All network elements are digital.    7. Higher bandwidths to provide multimedia services at lower cost.    8. Tight network security.